The present invention relates to a new and improved construction of ironing machine for ironing various types of textile pieces or garments or the like, hereinafter simply broadly referred to as textile pieces.
The ironing machine of the present invention is of the type comprising a frame and superimposed rolls having drive means which rotate the rolls which are arranged above one another in opposite rotational sense. Further, heating elements are provided which have a heating surface serving for heating and pressing or ironing the textile pieces, each such heating surface having an arcuate-shaped cross-sectional configuration and extending in a work position at least approximately coaxially with respect to the lengthwise axis of the related roll. An intermediate space is present between the superimposed rolls and related heating elements. Transport bands or belts are arranged in the intermediate space in such a fashion that the textile pieces are successively transported from one roll to the other roll. There are also provided means which infeed the textile pieces at one side of a vertical plane extending parallel to the roll axes to the rolls, and means which transport the textile pieces, after the same have past the rolls, to the other side of the vertical plane away from the rolls.
In an ironing machine of this type, known to the art from German Pat. No. 199,707, there are provided six rotatably mounted rolls. The axes of each three respective rolls are located in a respective horizontal plane, and the rolls are arranged in pairs above one another. Beneath each roll there is disposed a substantially trough-shaped heating element having at its upper side a heating surface which, in cross-section, extends approximately through one-quarter of a circle. Between the heating elements associated with the upper row of rolls and the lower row of rolls there is provided an intermediate space. The rolls are guided to be vertically displaceable at the frame of the ironing machine and can be raised and lowered by means of an adjustment element. When the rolls are lowered and located in their work or operative position, then, the heating surfaces which in cross-section extend through approximately one-quarter of a circle, are located at least approximately coaxially with respect to the roll axes. The heating elements operatively associated with the rolls located in the same plane as constructed in such a manner that they form mutually abutting slide surfaces for the textile pieces. Moreover, the lower rolls, during operation, are rotated in opposite rotational sense with respect to the upper rolls. The textile pieces which are to be ironed are infed at one end of the upper row of rolls and then transported by the rolls over the curved or arcuate-shaped heating surfaces of the heating elements to the other end of the upper row of rolls. At that location the textile pieces arrive at a conveyor belt or band and are transported by such through the intermediate space provided between the heating elements belonging to the upper roll row and the lower roll row to one end of the lower roll row. Thereafter, the textile pieces are transported through the lower rolls over the curved heating surfaces. When the textile pieces have passed the lower roll row they are again entrained by a conveyor band or belt and transported to the exit side or outlet of the ironing machine.
With this state-of-the-art ironing machine the curved heating surfaces of the heating elements, at any point in time, are thus located only approximately over one-quarter of the entire roll circumferential surface. On the other hand, the remaining three-quarters of the roll circumferential surface are not utilized for ironing, but nonetheless participate in delivering energy to the surroundings. This heretofore known machine thus utilizes a great deal of energy in comparison to the attained ironing efficiency. Since the prior art machine is provided with six rolls it is relatively expensive to manufacture. Additionally, it automatically has a large spatial extent and requires, in the area where it is erected, a relatively large floor surface.
From Austrian Pat. No. 92,696 there is known an ironing machine which has two rolls, each of which has operatively associated therewith a respective heating element. Furthermore, there are provided conveyor bands or belts in order to transport the textile pieces between the rolls and the heating surfaces of the heating elements. Also with this construction of ironing machine the sections of the heating surfaces of the heating elements which extend coaxially with respect to the roll axes only extend approximately over one-quarter of the entire roll circumferential surface. Therefore, during operation of this prior art ironing machine there also exist considerable thermal losses. Additionally, this state-of-the-art ironing machine, if the roll diameter is not structured to be extremely large, only has a relatively modest ironing efficiency or capability, and thus, only renders possible relatively small working speeds, and furthermore, there can only be obtained relatively poor ironing of the textile pieces or the like.
In German Pat. No. 61,489 there is taught to the art a press for pressing or ironing textiles. The press possesses a cylinder and two heating elements arranged to both sides of such cylinder. Between the heating elements and the cylinder there are guided therethrough conveyor bands or belts for transporting the textile pieces which are to be pressed or ironed. The heating elements are displaceable at right angles to the geometric axis of the cylinder. The cylinder itself is retained at its ends in upwardly open recesses of the frame. When the heating elements are displaced away from the cylinder the latter can be upwardly raised. During operation of the press the cylinder is apparently not rotated. Furthermore, it appears that the transport and the pressing of the textile pieces is not accomplished at the same time, rather alternately. This means that the textile pieces which are to be pressed or ironed, with the heating elements slightly displaced away from the cylinder, are transported between the heating elements and the cylinder, then pressed at such time as the conveyor belts are not in motion, and finally, can be transported away. This state-of-the-art press therefore likewise only allows for small operating speeds, and the obtained ironing effect of the textile pieces is relatively poor. Additionally, this heretofore known machine, notwithstanding the fact that it only utilizes a single cylinder, requires a relatively large amount of space. Among other reasons that is so because the conveyor belts which travel between the heating surfaces of the heating elements and the cylinder travel completely about the displaceable heating elements. Thus, in comparison to its pressing or ironing efficiency this heretofore known machine requires a relatively large amount of space and, furthermore, fabrication thereof is additionally quite complicated. A further disadvantage resides in the fact that during passage of the textile pieces through the machine both of the heating elements bear at the same side of the textile pieces, so that there is not realized the same ironing effect at both sides of the textile pieces.